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Our January Reads (2017)

Are you as excited as we are? A new year has begun, and this means tons of new literature. Besides the books we’ve already tagged at the local library for upcoming reads, we’re keeping our fingers crossed on a few previews as well. As always, this should be a spectacular year on the reading front.

As we started back with homeschool lessons mid-month, and the month isn’t quite over yet, I’m afraid we don’t have many books to cover. But, rest assured, February’s stack is quite large and we’ll have tons of great books to share.

Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Want Made Women Miserable(Andrea Tanteros) – Fifty years after Betty Friedan unveiled The Feminine Mystique, relations between men and women in America have never been more dysfunctional. If women are more liberated than ever before, why aren’t they happier? In this shocking, funny, and bluntly honest tour of today’s gender discontents, Andrea Tanteros, one of Fox News’ most popular and outspoken stars, exposes how the rightful feminist pursuit of equality went too far, and how the unintended pitfalls of that power trade have made women (and men!) miserable.An interesting read, to be sure. I am not a feminist by any means. But the title was intriguing, especially with all the media buzz lately, so I thought it might be worth a shot. I was surprised to find I agreed with most of Ms. Tanteros’ arguments, and spent a great deal of time sharing with my husband, who continually reminded me that men have been making these points for years.

The Bet (Chekhov) – The Bet is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov about a banker and a young lawyer who make a bet with each other about whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison.This short story was suggested at a recent conference. It can easily be finished in under half an hour, but the context of the story prompts hours of conversation and soul-searching. If you’ve yet to read it, follow the link and be blessed!

Tyranny of the Urgent (Charles Hummel) – Now thoroughly revised and expanded, this classic booklet by Charles E. Hummel offers ideas and illustrations for effective time management.While technology has advanced well beyond that which was mentioned in this booklet, the truths remain. In a world which constantly urges us to hurry, it’s time we learn to slow down and hear God.

Short, but sweet! February is about to dawn and already our stack is growing by leaps and bounds. Join us next month to see what we’ve been reading, and what we recommend.

Michael Horton’s, 2008, ‘Christless Christianity’, is okay. He’s harsh, but balanced, in some of his criticism of Pentecostals and their attachment to the preaching the prosperity gospel, but I agree with the need for the critique/correction. He isn’t shy of laying a few rounds into the bloated false teaching of liberal protestants either. Also ‘On the Incarnation’ by St. Athanasius, is short and relevant to the times.

Harsh… sometimes I wonder if this seems so only because we’ve become overly… delicate? We avoid hearing anything uncomfortable, failing to understand the words are not meant to be abrasive, but as an instrument for sharpening souls.

Thus, I am not intrigued. I will pick up this ‘harsh’ book and ask the Lord to lead. Both suggestions, as a matter of fact. I trust your judgement.

Yeah. That’s a fair point. I think it’s because I already had made similar conclusions to Horton and found his treatment of the subject in that section overdone. His criticism is certainly of benefit to anyone who might need to hear and heed it. Once I hit the theology and it’s critique of the overall subject matter, the tone changed and I saw the reason for the lengthy discourse.

I was raised by feminists (my single mom and her friends) – and am always happy to hear about someone else who has found the whole movement problematic – thanks for the recommendation! If you are interested in more Russian-themed material for February, you may enjoy ‘The Russia House’ by John LeCarré. I read it last year, and it was very entertaining and thoughtful – amazing character descriptions, and an ‘armchair travel’ treat. Also, there was no disgusting violence or explicit content, if I remember correctly. Happy reading! Oops – I see you are looking for non-fiction. Again in the ‘armchair travel’ vein, there is a charming little book of walking tours through Vienna, ‘In Search of Vienna’ by Henriette Mandl – a pleasant way to learn a bit about another place, and some European history, and to take a virtual holiday to a beautiful place! 🙂